Syro-Malankara Catholic Eparchy of Pathanamthitta

Eparchy of Pathanamthitta Eparchiae Pathanamthitta പത്തനംതിട്ട രൂപത
Location
Country	India
Ecclesiastical province	Trivandrum
Coordinates	9°16′53″N 76°47′14″E / 9.28139°N 76.78722°E / 9.28139; 76.78722
Statistics
Area	2,100 km2 (810 sq mi)
Population - Total - Catholics	(as of 2010) 1,234,016 40,563
Parishes	100
Members	37,500[1][2]
Information
Denomination	Catholic Church
Sui iuris church	Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Rite	Malankara Rite
Cathedral	St. Peter’s Malankara Catholic Church, Pathanamthitta
Patron saint	St Peter
Secular priests	89[1][2]
Current leadership
Pope	Francis
Major Archbishop	Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos
Eparch	Samuel Irenios Kattukallil
Vicar General	Msgr. Varghese Mathew Kalayil Vadakkethil
Bishops emeritus	Yoohanon Chrysostom
Map
Location of Pathanamthitta in Kerala
Website
pathanamthittadiocese.com

The Eparchy of Pathanamthitta is a Syro-Malankara Catholic Church ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Catholic Church in Kerala, India. The diocese was created by Pope Benedict XVI on 25 January 2010. Yoohanon Chrysostom became the first eparch. St. Peter’s Malankara Catholic Church in the episcopal see of Pathanamthitta serves as the cathedral church.^[3] The Eparchy of Pathanamthitta is a suffragan eparchy in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archeparchy of Trivandrum.

The Syro-Malankara Catholics are one of the oldest Saint Thomas Christians centered in Kerala, India. In the 16th century, the Catholics of the Latin Church came in contact with the Indian Christians through the Portuguese merchants and missionaries. But the relationship was fragile and several conflicts evolved among them, which later resulted in the Coonan Cross Oath. The majority of them restored ecclesial relationship with the Portuguese padroado hierarchy through the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, while others formed themselves into an independent ecclesial community as the Malankara Church and gradually established a relationship with the Church of the Antioch. Later, on 20 September 1930, a group headed by Geevarghese Ivanios lead the reunion movement and returned to the Catholic Church. The Metropolitan Eparchy of Trivandrum was inaugurated on 11 May 1933 and Geevarghese Ivanios was installed as its first Metropolitan. To cope up with the tremendous growth of the church the Major Archeparchy of Trivandrum was ramified and a new Eparchy of Pathanamthitta was formed.^[4]

As of 2021^[update], there are 100 parishes in the Diocese and the number of priests incardinated is 120. The diocese has about 80 seminarians pursuing different grades in their priestly formation.The diocese possesses 10,000 families of Catholic faithful in its territory. A bigger part of the malankara global diaspora comes from this diocese. The diocesan area is basically hilly in nature including a considerable number of tribal colonies. The Exarcate of the United States got its first bishop Thomas Eusebius from the Sacred Heart Malankara Catholic Church in Mylapra the Eparch of Pathanamthitta.^[5]

• 
  Inauguration of the Eparchy
• 
  Inauguration of the 'UPASANA' Pastoral Centre,Omalloor
• 
  Ordination of priests held at S H Church, Mylapra
• 
  Yoohanon Chrysostom with Curia Members

• Official Website of the Eparchy of Pathanamthitta
• Syro-Malankara Catholic Church Website